uc davis mfa creative writing

UC Davis Graduate Studies

Creative writing, about the program, learn more about the program.

A two year master of fine arts degree rooted in the study and creation of literature that reaches toward the other arts with the goal of presenting students with a wide range of aesthetic approaches and models for being a writer. Students may specialize in Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, as well as multi‐genre, multi‐media, or hybrid forms of literary art.

College of Letters and Science

Admissions and Fellowship Information

UC Davis General Admission Requirements Program Admissions Requirements

Admissions Actions

Program contact information, primary program contacts.

Program Coordinator Sarah Yunus (530) 752-2281 | [email protected]

Department Chair Tobias Menely [email protected]

Graduate Program Chair Margaret Ronda [email protected]

Additional Contacts

Advisor: General Kathleen Peterson Creative Writing (530) 752-1696 | [email protected]

Advisor: Admissions and Primary Contact Margaret Ronda Creative Writing [email protected]

Internal Fellowship Analyst Heidi West (530) 754-9473 | [email protected]

Senior Academic Advisor Brittney Dinelli [email protected]

External Fellowship Analyst Yvette Garcia [email protected]

• Become A Member
• Remember Me      Forgot Password?
• CANCEL Login

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

• Writing Programs & Pedagogy
• Community & Calendar
• Magazine & Media
• AWP Conference
• Writers' Conferences & Centers
• Guide to Writing Programs

• Advice Articles
• Campus Visit Video Series

University of California, Davis

California, united states.

The MFA in Creative Writing is a 2-year program culminating in the presentation of a thesis (a collection of poems, short fiction, novel, work of creative non-fiction, or mix-genre literary work). Several teaching assistantships for literature courses in the English Department are available for first year students and all students have access to teaching assistantships in their second year, which typically take the form of teaching one undergraduate creative writing workshop per quarter. Typically, motivated students are able to access funding for the duration of their time at Davis.

Application requirements include 3 letters of recommendation and genre-specific samples of creative work which are judged by the Creative Writing Committee of the English Department.

Required course work includes 4 Creative Writing Workshops and 4 Seminars in literary study, poetics, or craft. Much of the second year of study is dedicated to independent work with Thesis Committee members. The thesis must be judged of high quality by the candidate's thesis committee and is accepted following a successful oral interview and submission of an aesthetic statement.

Contact Information

One Shields Avenue MFA Program, Creative Writing Davis California, United States 95616-8581 Phone: (530) 752-1696 Email: [email protected] https://english.ucdavis.edu/mfa-creative-writing

Bachelor of Arts in English/Literature +

The University of California, Davis offers the BA with a Writing Major. The undergraduate writing major includes courses in fiction, poetry, nonfiction writing, advanced composition, article writing, and magazine editing. The student in the writing major is required to take 16 distributed units of British and/or American literature in the historical periods, 8 units from major authors (Chaucer, Shakespeare, or Mil-ton) which may not satisfy the historical requirement, 4 units of English language/linguistics, 3 creative writing courses (12 units) in fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry, as well as 1 seminar.

The Writing Major Program particularly benefits from the English Department's graduate creative writing program, which has brought dozens of famous authors to the campus. All undergraduates in the writing major are especially encouraged to take advantage of these readings and visits.

For more information, contact the Admissions Office or the English Undergraduate Studies Office, 118 Sproul Hall.

Minor / Concentration in Creative Writing +

Master of fine arts in creative writing +, graduate program director.

The MA in Creative Writing is a 2-year program culminating in the presentation of a thesis (a collection of poems, short fiction, or a novel). Teaching assistantships paying $23,000 per year may be available for qualified students.

Application requirements include submission of GRE scores (including the Advanced Test in English Literature), 3 letters of recommendation, and samples of creative work (poetry and/or prose) which are judged by the Creative Writing Committee of the English Department.

The MA program in Creative Writing is normally a 2-year program, although it is possible for an exceptional student to finish in one year. Required course work includes 4 q/hrs in either Fiction Theory or Poetics and 16 q/hrs in Creative Writing Workshops. The thesis (6 q/hrs) must be judged of professional quality by the candidate's thesis committee and is accepted following a successful oral interview and submission of an aesthetic statement. Elective courses (in English and American literature) make up the remaining 14 q/hrs.

Pam Houston

Cowboys Are My Weakness, Waltzing the Cat, A Little More About Me

https://pamhouston.net/

Joshua Clover

Riot. Strike. Riot: the New Era of Modern Uprisings, The Totality for Kids, Madonna anno domini

http://english.ucdavis.edu/people/jclover

Joe Wenderoth

It Is If I Speak, Disfortune, Letters to Wendy's

http://english.ucdavis.edu/people/jlwender

One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses, Everyday Psychokillers: A History for Girls

http://lucycorin.com/blog/

Katie Peterson

The Accounts, Permission, This One House

http://english.ucdavis.edu/people/bug

Zinzi Clemmons

What We Lose

http://www.zinziclemmons.com/

Share this page:

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2024 by AWP. All rights reserved.

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Graduate programs, university of california, berkeley graduate admissions office.

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective/

The University of California, Berkeley does not offer a graduate program in Creative Writing. Below is a list of selected Creative Writing graduate programs offered by other colleges and universities:

Creative Writing graduate programs

ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY – Los Angeles, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at AULA ARIZONA STATE – Tempe, Arizona – Creative Writing M.F.A. at ASU BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Boston, Massachusetts – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BU BROOKLYN COLLEGE – Brooklyn, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – New York, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Columbia CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – M.A. in English (Creative Writing Option) at Concordia GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Fairfax, Virginia – Creative Writing M.F.A. at GMU GODDARD COLLEGE – Plainfield, Vermont – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Goddard INDIANA UNIVERSITY – Bloomington, Indiana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at IU NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – New York, New York –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at NYU or M.A. in English with Concentration in Creative Writing at NYU SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA – Moraga, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at SMC SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – San Francisco, California – Creative Writing M.A. and M.F.A. at SFSU TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – San Marcos, Texas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Texas State STANFORD UNIVERSITY Stegner Fellowship – Palo Alto, California UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Birmingham, Alabama – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Alabama UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Tucson, Arizona –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arizona UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Fayetteville, Arkansas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arkansas UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Creative Writing M.F.A. Options at UBC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS – Davis, California – English M.A. with an Emphasis in Creative Writing at UCD UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE – Irvine, California – English M.F.A. in Writing at UCI UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE – Riverside, California – M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at UCR UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA – Norwich, United Kingdom – Creative Writing M.A. at UEA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – Gainesville, Florida – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Houston, Texas – M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing and M.F.A. in English: Creative Writing at UH UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Moscow, Idaho – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Idaho UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Iowa City, Iowa – Creative Writing M.F.A. in English at U of Iowa and M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing at U of Iowa UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – College Park, Maryland – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Maryland UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – Ann Arbor, Michigan – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Michigan UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA – Missoula, Montana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Montana UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA – Las Vegas, Nevada – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UNLV UNIVERSITY OF OREGON – Eugene, Oregon – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UO WARREN WILSON COLLEGE – Asheville, North Carolina – MFA Program for Writers at WWC

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Spring 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.

Words and More for Creative Writing Series

• January 15, 2021

Link to article: https://lettersandscience.ucdavis.edu/news/words-and-more-creative-writing-series

Get the Reddit app

Community-run subreddit for the UC Davis Aggies! Information on UC Davis and Davis, CA.

Did anyone else apply to the MFA Creative Writing program? Have any of you heard back yet?

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

Next Week: Creative Writing, Design Lectures Round Out the New Year

• by Karen Nikos-Rose
• January 07, 2021

It's a new year, so for this week's "Weekender," we decided to let you know about some great events next week and preview some for the weekend after.  And, we are letting you know about some virtual programs that can be enjoyed anytime, as well as some art grants up for grabs. B Street Theatre is starting an outdoor performance series starting this weekend.

This blog compiled by Michelle Villagomez, UC Davis Media Relations Intern.

Lecturers read and perform their work Tuesday

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., free, via Zoom. Register . 

“They Live!”  features English faculty Val Brelinski , Rae Gouriand , Andre Naffis-Saheley, and Greg Glazne . They will be reading and performing sections of their fiction and poetry. This event is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, the Department of English and UC Davis Library.

For more information on their works, go here .

Sparking innovation and creativity: human-centered design presentation is Wednesday

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., free, via Zoom. Register . 

The UC Davis Department of Design has a very ambitious mission: to change this world for the better. As the only comprehensive design program in the UC system, faculty and students seek to accomplish this goal in everything they do – from promoting sustainability, to solving real-world problems and addressing inequality in the industry.

This virtual event will be moderated by Ari Kelman , Interim Dean of the College of Letters and Science and will feature three esteemed faculty members in the Design department — Brett Snyder , Gozde Goncu-Berk , and Thomas Maiorana   — as they showcase their ground-breaking work in the field. From developing wearable products for people with disabilities or chronic diseases to reimagining shipping containers as housing for lower-income families, the discussion will tackle the broader issues of waste, the human experience and climate change.

For more details, go here . 

2021 California Arts Council announces grants

State arts grants will support organizational operations, individuals, and project-based activities; prioritizing relief and recovery for organizations and individuals impacted by COVID-19

The California Arts Council announced the opening of its 2021 grant season with applications now being accepted for all six of its funding opportunities, responding to the current and urgent needs of the state’s arts workforce and businesses.

The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The Arts Council is California’s only public arts grants provider with funding that is accessible to all 58 California counties. As a state agency, the Arts Council prioritizes racial equity and has a broad geographic reach into communities of all sizes. California’s arts sector is large and diverse, and its businesses and workforce are a significant contributor to our state economy and identity.

“The arts are an essential part of the California ecosystem, and we are made all the more aware of their importance during these troubled times,” said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. “As we open another grant season, we hope to help center our communities’ healing and resilience by carefully considering what the Council and the agency can do to best support the creative practices of artists and arts organizations in those communities, to help them survive this upheaval and uncertainty and to creatively thrive in the future.”

The Arts Council’s 2021 grant funding has been streamlined, allocating funding to meet the greatest needs of the field during this challenging time. Funding is aligned with three categories and six specific grant offerings, including general operating support for organizations and fellowships to support the creative practice of individual artists, as well as continued support for project-based activities. This year’s grants have been informed and developed by public input and data in alignment with the Arts Council’s Strategic Framework Decision Support Tool. 

New for the 2021 grant season, applicant organizations are required to submit a racial equity statement. As the Arts Council has been evolving its own racial equity practices , the agency invites applicants to start, continue, or strengthen their racial equity practices as a part of the arts community. The racial equity statement requirement is an opportunity for applicant organizations to explain their commitment and tangible efforts to advancing the leadership of and service to Indigenous people, communities of color, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, tribal communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities whose principal languages are not English.

In October, the Arts Council offered a public webinar, titled Why Race? A Learning Journey to Achieve Racial Equity , to share the history and background of the agency’s relationship with racial equity and to support a community-based learning practice. The recorded webinar is available online as a resource for prospective applicants.

2021 California Arts Council 3 category grants include:

Project-based support

General operating support 

Individual artists support

Read the full story here . 

Sacramento’s the B Street Theatre holds virtual concerts 

As part of their “Six Feet Apart” series, B Street Theatre is hosting virtual concerts featuring local, national and international musicians create an intimate, virtual concert just for you. Following the concert, there will be a Q&A with the artist. Register here .

Dates and artists include:

Jan. 8 — Jeremiah Johnson. Blending Texas style blues with the voice of Mississippi River blues leaves with you with the sound of Jeremiah Johnson, three time winner of the Houston Regional Blues Challenge. 

Jan. 15 — Laurie Rubin. Classical singer. Author. Educator. Advocate. A young mezzo-soprano whose voice is darkly complex and mysteriously soulful, and of whose memoir “Do You Dream in Color? Insights from a Girl Without Sight” it has been said “should be required reading in that it underscores the triumph of the human spirit."

Jan. 22 — Samuel James. Roots music. Storytelling. The Blues. I am not sure what you can label Samuel James. Rare. Special. Let's leave it at that.

Jan. 29 — Artist to be announced!

Feb. 5 — RATBOYS. Pop. Punk. Poetic. Powerful. Hear Chicago's critically acclaimed Ratboys' re-imagining of Americana on Six Feet Apart.

Find out more about their series on B Street Theatre’s website . 

UC Davis music next Thursday: MFA performances and opera panel discussion

'new words and music with voice'.

Worlds collide as UC Davis graduate students in music and the creative writing program come together to bring us a performance. This concert will showcase collaborative works among five creative writing MFA students and four doctoral students in music composition and theory. The noon concert will also include music, theatre and dance students performing, as well as music faculty. The prerecorded concert will be shown on the Department of Music Youtube channel and available for viewing after its premiere on Thursday, Jan. 14, 12:05 p.m to 1 p.m. This is the third year of the collaboration. Originally scheduled for spring 2020, the concert was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Performances include: 

Next week: UC Davis discussion of opera's future

'opera 2021: hopes and challenges' .

Thursday, Jan. 14, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., free, via Zoom. Register . 

Opera companies around the world have shuttered their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to better understand challenges and hopes for the world of opera and hopes in the present crisis and in the foreseeable future, Pierpaolo Polzonetti, professor of music at UC Davis, will interview the internationally recognized director of opera Francesca Zambello, and moderate a roundtable discussion including orchestra conductor and UC Davis Professor Christian Baldini, and two professional opera singers: Malcolm MacKenzie, who also teaches at UC Davis, and Brett Polegato. This event is co-sponsored by the Jan and Beta Popper endowed professorship in opera.

To learn more about the event, go here . 

Geographies I

for soprano and piano

words by Jen Soong (MFA student, Creative Writing)

music by Daniel Godsil (PhD student, music composition)

— Anushka Kulkarni, soprano (PhD student, musicology)

— Courtney Fiduccia, mezzo-soprano (undergraduate, Theatre and Dance)

— Kate Campbell, piano

a musical drama

story by Mangai Arumugam (MFA, Creative Writing ‘20)

music by Emily Joy Sullivan (PhD student, music composition)

lyrics by Mangai Arumugam and Emily Joy Sullivan

— Kurt Rohde, viola and Professor of Music at UC Davis

—  Kate Campbell, piano and celesta

can you hear me? 

words by Anna Tuchin (MFA student, Creative Writing)

music by Orkun Akyol (PhD student, music composition)

— Sarah Miller, solo voice (PhD student, musicology)

— Orkun Akyol and Reuben de Lautour, electronics

Spaceman / Watchman

text by Sawyer Elms and Jordan Dahlen (MFA, Creative Writing)

music by Trey Makler (PhD student, music composition)

— Leanny Muñoz, soprano (PhD student, musicology)

— Sawyer Elms, speaking role 1 (MFA, Creative Writing)

— Jordan Dahlen, speaking role 2 (MFA, Creative Writing)

For more information, click here . 

UC Davis Basement Gallery starts a podcast, art call, and collaborative playlist 

As UC Davis continues with remote instruction, the Basement Gallery is finding new ways to engage with their community of artists and those interested in art. The campus gallery recently started a new segment, The Basement Gallery Podcast . In the first episode, team members discussed the upcoming quarter and their feelings towards being students and artists during the COVID-19 quarantine. The episode can be listened to here . 

If you would like to be part of these conversations or are interested in being interviewed you can email [email protected] or direct message the Basement Gallery on Instagram .

The Basement Gallery has an art call for their upcoming virtual art show, Making Changes . The artists selected will have the option to be featured on the Basement Gallery’s Instagram as well in their podcast. Artists are also allowed to remain anonymous and all majors/mediums are welcome to apply including short stories, poems, and music. The deadline for submissions is Friday, Jan. 8 . For more information about the art call and how to submit work , go here .

If you are looking for new tunes to listen to, the Basement Gallery has your back! 

The team at the Basement Gallery created a collaborative playlist, that rainy winter quarter aesthetic . Listen to it on Spotify .

Subscribe to the Arts Blog

Primary Category

Creative Writing

Graduate Studies

• Master of Fine Arts

The UC Davis graduate creative writing program is a two-year master of fine arts degree rooted in the study and creation of literature that reaches toward the other arts with the goal of presenting students with a wide range of aesthetic approaches and models for being a writer. Students may specialize in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, as well as multi‐genre, multi‐media, or hybrid forms of literary art. 

Graduate Program Requirements

Contact information.

The Pamela Maus Contest in Creative Writing

Arts Homepage

Arts calendar, socials and email news, staff directory.

• Student & Alumni News
• Job Openings
• Exhibitions
• Alberini (Past Lectures)
• Peer Advisors
• Grad Students
• Emeriti Faculty
• MFA Graduates
• Undergraduates
• Course Descriptions
• Summer Sessions
• Design Study Abroad
• Exhibition Design
• Fashion Design
• History and Theory of Design
• Interactive Design
• Interior Architecture
• Lighting Design
• Product Design
• Textiles Design
• Visual Communications Design
• Application Links
• Links for Current Students
• Savageau Award
• MFA Exhibition Catalogs
• Careers & Competitions
• Clubs & Activities
• Reference Material
• Cruess Hall Room List
• Class Reserves
• Lighting Center
• Prototyping Lab
• Student Computer Recommendations
• Current Exhibitions
• Stabb Design Collection
• Support the Museum

Design Graduate Program